


Of Knights and Realizations

by thenerdyindividual



Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Dancer!Eggsy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-08
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-29 12:57:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3897178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenerdyindividual/pseuds/thenerdyindividual
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry's back and Eggsy's pissed. So Eggsy takes up dancing again  for the first time in years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Eggsy's shoes squealed as he took a corner at a sprint. He'd been called in early, something about Merlin needing to talk to him. It was supposed to be a day off after his most recent mission so he'd left the suit at home. He'd never been more grateful for the invention of trainers and jeans than in that moment because Harry Hart was alive and it was far easier to run in those clothes than the Kingsman issued suit. It had been left up to Merlin to deliver the news of Harry's survival. At first Eggsy had glared and let out a grunt of disbelief.  
"Merlin, if this is supposed to be a joke, it ain’t very funny. I saw him get shot. He was dead," he said icily.  
Merlin sighed and rolled his eyes before tapping something into his tablet to bring up the security feed of one of the infirmary rooms.  
“I’d never joke about this with you, Eggsy. Harry is alive and has been since he was shot. My glasses managed to lessen the impact,” Merlin explained and tapped one last time on his screen and sure enough, Harry was sitting on a bed. Eggsy didn’t wait for further explanation from Merlin before he was tearing out of the room at breakneck speed. The pounding of his feet on the hallway floors echoed the mantra in his head.  
Harry is alive. Harry is alive. Harry is alive.  
Eggsy didn’t bother knocking; he just burst into the room breathless. The doctor and Harry turned at the interruption and Harry’s lips quirked up into a smile or as close to a smile as Harry ever got. Eggsy let out a breath of relief. Harry was back.  
“You’re alive,” Eggsy panted. Joy flooded Eggsy’s chest. Harry was alive and, besides a scar that ran along his temple, much the same --same perfectly slicked back dark hair, same russet eyes and square jaw-- as Eggsy had last seen him nearly a year before; an entire year where Eggsy mourned his mentor, a year where Eggsy was left in the dark. Harry opened his mouth to respond, and the joy that had so recently filled Eggsy’s chest to bursting, twisted into a cold, hard rage. Eggsy clenched his fists. Harry stood as if to walk over and clap Eggsy on the shoulder, and Eggsy lost it.  
“You’re alive and you didn’t think I deserved to know? After you told me I was a disappointment, and ran off to go save the bloody world, I didn’t deserve to know?”  
Harry’s expression faltered. “I did wish to inform you of the fortunate turn of events, Eggsy. However, in order for you and Lancelot to dismantle Valentine’s plans, Valentine had to presume me dead. There is a protocol for such situations,” he explained as if it was the most rational thing in the world.  
“I wouldn’t’ve told anyone you were alive, Harry! I’ve never ratted on anyone! And the bloody protocol said I didn’t deserve to know that my mentor wasn’t dead?” Eggsy shouted back.  
Harry sighed. “Eggsy, I do truly regret being unable to inform you of my status,” he said calmly then held out a hand towards Eggsy, “I believe congratulations are in order. My promotion to Arthur means you are now officially a Kingsman Agent. Congratulations Galahad.”  
Eggsy stepped away from the offered hand and smiled tightly. “You’re forgiven, Arthur,” he sneered. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a week of leave after the last mission.”  
Eggsy turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him.  
*  
Getting recruited for Kingsman had been a major upturn in Eggsy’s life. Stealing his stepbrother’s car and ending up in jail had been a particularly low point in Eggsy’s life; he was looking at a sentence of eighteen months or more, but he refused to give up the names of his friends who had been with him. Lee Unwin died when Eggsy was just seven years old and he spent the rest of his childhood dealing with his mother’s increasingly terrible boyfriends. His only comfort came from two things: the medal his father’s coworker had brought when informing Michelle Unwin of her husband’s unfortunate demise, and his dance lessons. However, when his mother married Dean, the latter was taken away as well. Soon the only joy he got was from his darling little half sibling Daisy, who was only one when Eggsy stole the car.  
Eggsy was forced to call in the favor his father’s coworker had promised when delivering the medal. That was the moment Eggsy’s life changed. That was the moment he met Harry Hart, the moment he was recruited for a job with an obscure branch of the British Secret Service called Queen's Defenders. He was pulled out of the clutches of the step-father from hell, and --despite the weird obsession with the Knights of the Round Table-- everything was finally going right. Then Eggsy had failed the last test of training. Harry, as his mentor, was furious that Eggsy hadn’t realized the gun was firing blanks. That Kingsman would never have someone actually shoot the dog they’d raised from the first day of training. Then Harry had gone off to some church in Kentucky to investigate its connection to Valentine (a psychopath intent on destroying the world). Eggsy watched through the video feed from Harry’s glasses (invented by Merlin for all of the Kingsman Agents to wear) as Valentine shot Harry in the head. Eggsy might have taken down Valentine (with Roxy, the girl who ended up getting the Lancelot position they were originally recruited for) but it did nothing to stem the guilt that remained from the look of disappointment on Harry’s face. It haunted him every time he closed his eyes. And all that pent up guilt that Eggsy had carried with him for the year following Harry’s death was supposed to be erased because Harry was back.  
*  
As Eggsy stormed away down the hall, he realized he would probably regret his outburst later when Harry pulled the Arthur card, but he couldn’t care less. All that mattered was getting as far away from the man as possible before Eggsy did something particularly stupid, like break Harry’s nose. He slammed his way out of the building, startling several customers getting measured for suit fittings in the tailor shop that acted as the facade of their organization. Eggsy spent the walk back to his flat trying to calm the clawing rage that had settled somewhere in the vicinity of his lower intestine. It took until he got home to gain any semblance of calm, and as Eggsy approached the door he took a deep breath through his nose and let it out of his mouth. Daisy and his mMum were over to visit and the last thing Eggsy wanted was to upset his family. They’d been through enough over the years. He took another breath and unlocked his door, calling out as cheerfully as possible.  
“Mum? Daisy? I’m home.”  
He was greeted by a joyful bark from JB and a delighted shriek from Daisy and soon enough the pug came bounding forward with the little girl hot on his heels. Eggsy grinned, feeling his anger recede somewhat. He scooped up Daisy and smacked a big kiss on her cheek.  
“Hello my darlin’. Where’s mum? Hm?” he asked softly just as a clearly exhausted Michelle Unwin stepped out of the living room where the sound of Saturday afternoon cartoons was just barely audible. Michelle smiled and planted a kiss on Eggsy’s sand-colored hair.  
“Hey. Everything at that tailors of yours sorted out?” she asked and Eggsy nodded, not quite trusting himself to speak. His mum had never liked Harry, continuing to hold a grudge against the man who brought her the news of her husband’s death. The fact that he’d managed to hurt her son so badly would’ve added another black mark in Michelle’s book.  
“Yeah mum. One of my clients was just throwing a fit is all.” Eggsy said and chuckled as Daisy grabbed his nose in one zaftig fist, yelling “Mummy, ‘ggsy”.  
Michelle smiled fondly and shook her head.  
“She’s been asking after you all morning. She refused to take a nap until you got home.” she explained. Eggsy gasped dramatically and looked down at his little sister with a horrified expression.  
“Is that true? Have you been giving mummy a hard time? Come on let’s get you off for a nap so mummy can have one too, yeah?” he asked and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Eggsy grinned and gave his mum a one armed hug before heading up the stairs to the guest room with JB chugging along behind. Even if it had delayed his involvement with Queen's Defenders, Eggsy would never regret not pulling the trigger on JB. He entered the guest room and settled Daisy down in her crib. Despite living in the flat for almost a year, Eggsy had never done anything to make it his own. It wasn’t anything like Harry’s flat with his incommensurable collection of knickknacks; butterfly specimens, paintings, collectible dinner plates, and his stuffed dog --Mr. Pickles-- sitting above the toilet. Eggsy’s guest room had the same heliotrope walls as when he moved in. In fact the room probably would have been left bare if Michelle and Daisy hadn’t needed a place to put their lives back together after freeing themselves from under Dean’s boot. In fact all the furniture in the room --consisting of a queen bed with a fawn frame, a white bedspread, and teal pillows; and a crib with white blankets for Daisy and a white chest of drawers for them to share-- was Michelle’s doing. Eggsy had done little more to his room. The walls were moss green; the queen bed (also Michelle’s doing) had a dove grey bedspread, and white pillows. The most personal thing he had in his room was his laptop that he left on his bedside table. He hadn’t even gone into the study, not daring to face the flashbacks of Harry getting shot that would inevitably resurface in a place that so resembled where Eggsy watched him die. It took Daisy no time to fall asleep once she was settled in and Eggsy had sung her a few lullabies. He turned and looked down at JB and pointed at the crib.  
“Keep an eye on her for me.” he instructed and the dog wagged his curly-cue of a tail obligingly. Eggsy sighed and trooped back downstairs, where he collapsed on the sofa next to his mum. She looked up and smiled wearily at him.  
“You sure everything is sorted out my love? You just seem a little tense.” she questioned softly. Eggsy sighed and curled up so his head was resting on his mum’s shoulder, wishing not for the first time that he could tell her everything.  
“Yeah mum. Everything’s fine.”  
*  
Eggsy spent his week of leave going to pubs with his two friends that were involved in the incident, and spoiling his mother and Daisy rotten. When he got his first paycheck, ages ago about a month into his work as an agent, he’d immediately put it all into a savings account for Daisy. After spending his entire life trying to make them happy, it was a habit that died hard. It wasn’t like he had to pay rent for his flat as Kingsman owned the entire building, so beyond essentials like food, he didn’t really need to save up for anything. It was a wonderful luxury. What wasn’t so wonderful was the anger that welled up every time Eggsy remembered that once the week was over, he’d have to go back to work and deal with Har-- Arthur, again. They hadn’t seen each other since Eggsy’s emotional outburst, and since then Eggsy had decided to speak to Arthur in a professional capacity only. He needed to distance himself from the older man, needed to stop viewing him as a mentor and start viewing him as a boss. It was the only logical way to get over being lied to and keep operations running smoothly. On the last day of leave, as Eggsy was trying to wrangle an uncooperative Daisy into a bath after her experimentation with finger painting, his phone rang. He wrestled the squirming eighteen-month old into the big porcelain tub of steaming water, handed her a bath toy in the shape of a pig in a life jacket, and snatched his phone out of his back pocket. He answered and nearly groaned aloud when Merlin’s voice came through loud and clear.  
“Ah. Galahad, I’m glad I caught you. I wanted to inform you that tomorrow you’ll be undergoing another branch of training, necessary for an upcoming mission that you and Lancelot are being sent on. You’ll need to dress down.” He explained.  
Eggsy made a juvenile face at the phone before responding, having not forgiven Merlin for his obvious involvement in the Harry Deception.  
“Okay, anything else? I’m rather busy on this end.” Eggsy said dismissively and he heard Merlin’s annoyed sigh.  
“Arthur is instructing. Do be civil.” he said curtly and the line went dead. Eggsy rolled his eyes and went back to trying to scrub bright blue paint out of his sister’s hair.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special Thanks to everyone who helped me edit this!

The next day, Eggsy had to drag himself out of bed. Despite all the guff he made about remaining professional, he was still reluctant to crawl through mud or stand on one foot while reciting the alphabet backwards, while Harry watched. It wasn’t until JB dropped his food-bowl on Eggsy’s head, that Eggsy actually forced himself to turn off his alarm and trudge downstairs. With a sigh Eggsy gave JB a fresh batch of kibble and dug some leftover Chinese out of the fridge for himself. He ate it out of the container, cold, while standing at his sink. Once he and JB were fed and watered, Eggsy headed upstairs to change. He decided to forgo the shower since he’d be getting sweaty anyway by the time he got done with training. He exchanged his pajama pants for gunmetal grey trackie bottoms, a white t-shirt, and a blue-grey hoodie his mum had bought him because it matched his eyes. It wasn’t far to HQ, but Eggsy’s reluctance stretched a five minute walk into one that lasted twenty. He saw a coffee shop on his way and of course had to stop to get some since he was out of coffee in his flat. And it was such a nice day that Eggsy had no choice to sit outside and savor his coffee for as long as possible. Then he set off again to HQ. He got lost twice. However, he inevitably found himself pushing open the door to Kingsman Tailors. Eggsy offered a hello to Jake and stepped into the dressing room that would take him down to the special underground train, which would take him to the HQ Center. His leg bounced the entire time. When he finally emerged into the building, he discovered a scowling Merlin tapping his foot, and waiting specifically for Eggsy.  
“Workout Room Two. Arthur and Lancelot are waiting.” Merlin said brusquely.  
“I’m goin’ Merlin. See me goin’?” Eggsy teased, walking away backwards with his arms spread wide. Merlin just rolled his eyes and went back to typing something into his tablet. Eggsy continued smirking at Merlin, until he turned a corner. Then Eggsy turned around so he was walking normally and gulped down a lungful of air. In less than thirty seconds, he’d be trapped in a room with Harry. True, Roxy was there, and she always made things better but he was sure it wouldn’t be anything other than awkward and borderline painful. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and steeled himself for the upcoming interaction. The fury Eggsy had felt when he discovered Harry was still alive had cooled somewhat, but was far from gone. He could feel it boiling just under the surface, like a volcano ready to burst. A deadly magma comprised of rage, betrayal, and misery. It was difficult to hold in, and some nights during his leave, Eggsy had wanted nothing more than to march over to Harry’s house, break down his door, and demand an explanation. Eggsy took another breath and forced himself to relax. He could be angry with Harry, but he couldn’t let it show. He needed the job with Queen's Defenders, if he wanted to continue spoiling his mum and sis rotten. Also, Eggsy enjoyed his job; he was a damn fine agent and he couldn’t imagine his life working as a cashier at some fast food joint. So Eggsy tamped down his magma and pushed open the door to work out room two. Sure enough, Roxy and Harry were waiting for him. Harry, still dressed to the nines in his blue pinstripe bespoke suit, looked up and offered Eggsy a bland smile.  
“Nice of you to join us Eggsy.” he said calmly.  
“Sorry sir. Alarm didn’t wake me up.” Eggsy responded, his tone clipped. Harry would undoubtedly notice Eggsy’s usual familiarity missing. Eggsy ignored any reaction he might get and fell in beside Roxy, awaiting instructions.  
Harry took a minute to study them, and then nodded to himself.  
“Today I will be instructing you in the art of ballroom dancing. Nothing that will get you into competitions I’m afraid, but enough so that you’ll be able to dance at your next mission without looking out of place,” he explained and gestured to the center of the floor, “I trust you two know how to stretch and warm up before a workout. Do what you would normally do; I need to fetch something I left in my office.”  
And with that, Harry stepped out, leaving Roxy and Eggsy on their own. Eggsy rolled his eyes then sat down to start stretching out his legs, and Roxy soon followed suit. After a few minutes of silent stretching, Roxy looked up at Eggsy with her eyebrow raised.  
“So, clearly you’re not coping well.” she said simply and pulled her honey colored hair back into a ponytail as she waited for Eggsy to elaborate. Eggsy chuckled bitterly and shook his head.  
“I dunno Rox. He left me in the dark for a year, y’know? I thought he and I were mates. You don’t just not tell your mates that you’re alive. I mean, if I got shot and Merlin knew I was alive, I’d ask him to tell you and my family, beg him if he didn’t give in right away. I wouldn’t’ve just left ya hangin’. But that’s what his highness did to me. He didn’t care that I saw him hit the ground. Didn’t care that I blamed myself. He just let me go on believin’ he was dead.” He said and Roxy nodded in understanding.  
“I can see how that would make you angry. Hell, I would be as well Eggsy. However, I think you could cut him some slack. Harry’s a stickler for the rules and he already bent them by selecting a “working class fella” as his candidate when you and I were recruited for the Lancelot position. He was looking at being promoted to Arthur. He might’ve thought telling you would cause that promotion to fail, therefore causing you to lose your promotion to Galahad. It might be his backwards way of ensuring your future. To be fair, I can’t verify any of this. If you want to remain cold and distant, that’s fine. I don’t blame you. Just, try not to let your anger run the show. Don’t Hulk out on me, okay?’ She said and Eggsy smiled, kissing her cheek.  
“Yeah Rox. I promise, no Hulking out.” He swore. Roxy laughed and gave him a decisive nod.  
“Good. Now make yourself useful and help me stretch.” She commanded and held her hands out for Eggsy to pull. They spent the next twenty minutes stretching and by the time Harry returned, both Eggsy and Roxy were bright eyed and in far more cheerful moods than when he left. Harry’s lips quirked up into his signature almost smile.  
“I’m pleased to see you two are prepared to train. We’re going to start with a basic waltz. Eggsy put your right hand on Roxy’s left shoulder blade. Roxy put your left hand on Eggsy’s right shoulder. Now both of you take your free hands and put them together at about shoulder level. Now Roxy put your right foot between Eggsy’s feet.” He instructed and walked around making minor adjustments to their posture. When Harry adjusted Eggsy’s feet it was difficult not to flinch. Despite the oath he made to Roxy about remaining calm, it would be incredibly difficult when he felt like vomiting every time Harry touched him.  
“Good. I’m going to teach you the basic box step first. Eggsy step forward with your left foot. Roxy, as he steps forward, step back with your right foot. Good, now slide your left foot back at a diagonal to the left corner. Eggsy, slide your right foot forward at a diagonal to the right corner. Good. Now both of you bring your feet together. Now Eggsy step back with your right foot as Roxy steps forward with her left. Now Eggsy slide your left foot back at a diagonal to the left corner. Roxy slide your right foot forward at a diagonal to the right. Both of you bring your feet together. Now you’re back where you started. Repeat the movements.” Harry instructed and watched as Eggsy and Roxy stumbled their way through the first few steps. It was slow going but Eggsy finally managed to master left, right, together; right, left, together. Roxy however, was having no such luck. After the twentieth time of stepping with the wrong foot, she jerked away with a small growl.  
“I don’t get it Harry.” she said bitterly and Harry smiled reassuringly. Roxy hated being bad at anything as Eggsy knew. Being the only female agent in Queen's Defenders, left a lot riding on her shoulders, and no one put more pressure on her, than she did herself.  
“I wouldn’t worry Roxy. I’m afraid I haven’t given you terribly good instructions. Perhaps watching would be better for your learning. Watch me with Eggsy.” he said placidly and handed Roxy his tablet, “Just select the first song.” he instructed and stepped into Roxy’s vacated position. Eggsy fought down an urge to scream as Harry placed his hands in the customary positions and Eggsy specifically looked at a point somewhere beyond Harry’s left shoulder. The music began and after two three counts, they began to dance. Waltzing with Harry was nothing like stumbling along with Roxy. Harry glided smoothly along the floor, never missing a beat of Jon Brion’s Here We Go. The older man exuded charm and grace, and Eggsy felt himself get swept up in it. All the years of teaching himself how to dance when Dean was gone or passed out, came rushing back and despite himself, he started having fun. It was like clearing dust from an old, much loved photograph. They worked together seamlessly and Eggsy started to smile slightly. The world disappeared and it was only him, Harry, and the music. Eggsy could feel his chest swelling with a joy he hadn’t felt since before Harry’s so called death but the moment ended all too soon. The music stopped, and Harry stepped away, turning towards Roxy with a questioning tilt to his head. Roxy nodded and immediately took her place again. This time she didn’t mess up. The happiness that filled Eggsy to the brim was still there and only mildly dissipated by his slightly less coordinated dance partner.  
*  
They practiced the box step for four hours at which point their capabilities met even Roxy’s incredible standards. They finally stepped away from each other and rolled out their aching shoulders.  
“Good work today agents. You are dismissed. Tomorrow we’ll work on actually moving; turns and things of that nature.” Harry said warmly and began tapping away on his tablet again, presumably filling out paperwork. Eggsy jerked his head towards the door, inviting Roxy to come with him, and she nodded. She grabbed her hoodie that she’d discarded when Harry had turned on a faster song, and then followed Eggsy out of the room. They walked down the hall in companionable silence for a few minutes. Eggsy forgot how blissful dancing made him. After years of waking up extremely early to practice in predawn light, or waiting until late and Dean had left for the time being, it was difficult to remember that dancing could be fun. Finally he turned his head towards Roxy and grinned.  
“So you’ve got two left feet huh?” he teased. Roxy turned and glared at him fiercely.  
“I’ll have you know my difficulties concerning the waltz are genetic. Neither of my parents can dance, therefore rather than try to get me to be a ballerina they put me in kickboxing classes.” she said sharply and Eggsy crowed with laughter. He was forced to dive sideways down the hall when Roxy attempted to tackle him. It was like the hours of dancing had washed away some of the pain he’d been carrying around with him, and the world seemed like a brighter place. He had friends, and a job he loved. He could learn to hold back the berating he wanted to give Harry and maybe learn to work with him without screaming. He slung his arm around Roxy’s shoulders and gave her a hug.   
“You did pretty damn well for someone who can’t dance.” he said happily.


	3. Chapter 3

They settled into a sort of routine after that. Roxy and Eggsy would show up in workout room two. Harry would instruct them, after they mastered the waltz, they were taught the foxtrot. Then Roxy and Eggsy would go get coffee at the shop Eggsy discovered the first day when he was procrastinating. Eggsy was still furious with Harry but he was getting better at hiding it. He didn’t flinch so much when Harry adjusted his posture or footing anymore. Eggsy hadn’t realized how much he missed the sore muscles that came with dancing, it was a wonderful sensation. The routine held firm until Roxy caught a cold. Eggsy got up and went to the room they’d been using for several weeks, but the only person there was Harry. Eggsy stiffened slightly and entered the room. Harry looked up and offered him a half smile.

“I’m afraid Roxy has come down with something.” he explained and Eggsy nodded.

“Does that mean class is cancelled, or are ya plannin’ on teachin’ me somethin’ else?” he asked.

Harry shrugged elegantly. “I‘ve been teaching you to lead the dances, I can teach you to follow if you wish.”

Eggsy bit his lip then shook his head. “No thank you sir. I’d rather wait to train until Rox is back. She should learn to lead at the same time I learn to follow.” he responded. Harry nodded and smiled politely. “Very well. I suppose you’re free for today then Galahad.”

Eggsy nodded and turned to leave. He figured he could go home and maybe take Daisy off his mum’s hands. It had been a while since the woman had had any time to herself, and it had the added benefit of Eggsy getting to spend time with his little sis. He had one foot out the door when Harry spoke again.

“Eggsy,” he called out softly and Eggsy turned back to face him, “I do wish you would forgive me.”

Eggsy’s hands clenched into fists at his sides and he tilted his chin up proudly. “I already told you Arthur, you’re forgiven.” he said and Harry raised an eyebrow.

“Do you really expect me to believe that? You flinch when I glance in your direction. You haven’t forgiven me my dear boy.” he said calmly.

Eggsy crossed his arms and glared. “What’d you expect? That you’d come back and I’d just be okay with bein’ in the dark?” he asked and Harry pinched the bridge of his nose again in annoyance.

“I’ve inform--” Harry started but Eggsy cut him off.

“Damn the blasted protocol! Ya really thought you could get away with not tellin’ me Harry? You were my friend an’ you let me believe you were dead! How were you expectin’ me to react Harry? Give you a hug an’ it’s all good? Well bugger that!” Eggsy snapped back and stepped into the hallway, letting the door bang shut behind him. He’d done his best to keep his anger at bay. It wasn’t his fault that he’d lashed out at Harry again. Eggsy turned corners at random; too blinded by rage to care where he was going. Bastard. Eggsy thought viciously. He’s a damn bastard. Thinkin’ he can get away with that bullshit. He turned another corner and hit a dead end. A string of expletives shot from his lips, and he turned to a door at random. He barged into the unlit room and leaned back against the door, trying to calm himself down. Eggsy had thought he got his anger towards Harry in check, but apparently he was wrong. The sting of Harry’s betrayal ran deep and it gnawed at Eggsy relentlessly. Realistically he knew that the betrayal wasn’t the only thing gnawing at him. Before Harry had gone to the church where he died, Eggsy had yelled at Harry, blaming him for his father’s death, and Eggsy had had to live with the pained expression on Harry’s face for a year.  He sighed and ran both hands through his hair, tugging slightly at the roots in frustration. He needed to get his head on straight before Merlin did something like declare him unfit for active duty. Eggsy blew out a sigh and stood up slowly. He fumbled about in the dark until he discovered the light switch. The light illuminated a room covered in dust. It swirled through the air in thick moats and reflected off the garish fluorescent lights. The room appeared to be a shutdown workout room, mirrors lined one wall and there were dents in the floor where gym equipment would have dug in and created an impression. There was a suspicious stain in one corner and the air smelled rank but it seemed like a perfectly decent room. Eggsy sank down in the center of the floor, took off the glasses Merlin made them wear whenever they were on duty (to track their whereabouts and get in touch with them in an emergency), and put them in his hoodie pocket. He knew Merlin had seen and heard the fight he had with Harry, and Eggsy had no desire to talk. He slid his ear buds into his ears and cranked up his music. He rolled his head and shoulders, trying to release some of the tension he’d been carrying around. After a few minutes he stood up and jogged in place to get the circulation in his legs going again but his ear buds kept falling out. So he unplugged them and let the music play out over his phone’s speakers. Soon he was jogging around the room, letting the rhythmic slap of his feet sooth him. He stopped and did handstands, managing to successfully walk on his hands for an entire minute. Then it morphed into dancing. Things he hadn’t practiced in the last few years came flooding back. He turned on the balls of his feet. He jumped and fell. He rolled. It was probably clumsy and terrible. He had learned everything from YouTube tutorials, but it felt good to stretch his legs again. He kept going for song after song; doing walk-overs, and jumps. He didn’t stop until he fell to the floor, intending to do an inversion, and didn’t get up again. He melted into a puddle of overworked muscle. He lay there for a few more songs, and then dragged himself up. He retrieved his things, and turned off the music. He crammed his glasses back on his face and flipped the light off. He found his way out of the labyrinth of halls, and trekked home. He dumped himself into a tub of hot water, and then collapsed into bed once he was clean. Apparently dancing for six hours straight was exhausting.

*

After that day a new routine emerged for Eggsy. Instead of going to get coffee with Roxy after training, he’d go in early and bring the coffee with him. Then the time he would normally spend with Roxy after training, he spent doing training of his own. He started looking up tutorials again and his mood started improving little by little and his skill level went through the roof. During training, anything Harry threw at them Eggsy was able to pick it up with little to no problem. It irritated Roxy to no end, and Eggsy loved to rub it in her face. He and Roxy were still sent on occasional low grade operative missions but the upcoming banquet mission had everyone in knots. Harry and Eggsy didn’t have another fight but things were still awkward. The one positive outcome of their fight was that Harry stopped touching Eggsy quite so much if adjusting his posture. No one seemed to notice that Eggsy spent hours at a time off the grid.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Eggsy waved goodbye to Roxy, making up some excuse about paperwork, and made his way to his dance room. He planned to spend about two hours in practice. He had dinner with his mum and Daisy that evening so he wanted to be able to go home and shower properly without wanting to collapse. He turned on Take Me to Church and started rehearsing the dance he’d been working on. He still hadn’t managed to work out the transition from all his floor work, to his turns. He spent about an hour and a half working on it before he got bored, and went to go change the song. In the silence that followed, a voice echoed out across the empty room.

“Ah, so this explains why your instinct scores were so excellent during recruitment Galahad.”

Eggsy startled so badly he jumped nearly twenty feet in the air, he turned towards the door and let out a shaky breath. “Christ, Arthur! You tryin’ to give me a heart attack?” he asked indignantly and Harry chuckled.

“That was not my intention, no. Merlin informed me that you were disappearing down here for long periods of time. I wished to know what you were doing.” He said with amusement.

Eggsy rubbed his arm awkwardly. He was used to Harry’s scrutinizing gaze when Harry was instructing but it was infinitely more distressing to know he was scrutinizing something Eggsy had been working on for two weeks.

“How long were you standin’ there?” Eggsy asked softly.

“About twenty minutes,” Harry replied easily and stepped into the room, “You know I would’ve helped if I had known you wished to pursue dance.”

Eggsy shrugged petulantly. “Yeah. I know. Didn’t feel like I needed your help.” he mumbled.

Harry sighed and gave Eggsy an irritated stare. “I do wish you would let it go. I never meant to hurt you Eggsy. It really was meant to protect this agency from Valentine.”

It was Eggsy turn to scoff. “And what? You thought my mum and I could be connected to him in some way?”

“No. If you and the other agents hadn’t been seen to be reacting the way they normally do to an agent’s death, Valentine could’ve realized that I was alive. We would’ve lost our edge.” Harry explained and Eggsy blew out a sigh.

“Fine. You followed protocol,” he said and looked up at Harry, “But next time you fake die, I’m gonna kill you for real.” he joked and Harry snorted.

“I accept those terms. Now, show me how you were planning on getting out of the crouched crossed leg thing you were doing.” he said and Eggsy glanced down at the time on his phone.

“Can’t. I have to get home. I’m having family dinner tonight.” Eggsy explained and Harry nodded in understanding.

“Very well. Another time then?”

“Yeah Harry. Another time.”

*

After that the two developed a tentative friendship. Eggsy started bringing coffee for Harry as well as Roxy. Harry would always thank him in his most gentlemanly way possible, even though he obviously found t ****

he brew disgusting. It took him three days before he realized Eggsy was intentionally bringing him bad coffee. He continued their training for the banquet mission that was fast approaching, but the dancing portion was mostly a review of the steps they had learned. They’d moved on to the files about their target and the flash drive containing plans for a nuclear arsenal. Eggsy was kept busy so he didn’t have much of a chance to dance anymore, but when he did, Harry always came when asked. He was actually quite helpful, offering criticism, and helping Eggsy learn proper technique. Everything seemed brighter Eggsy if he had an opportunity to tease Harry at least once a day. Harry got his own back as well, telling Eggsy to do something utterly ridiculous and waiting until Eggsy said something indignant before smiling and informing the young man it was a joke.  It was nice to have a semblance of their old rhythm back.

*

What the movies didn’t tell you about honeypot missions was that they weren’t all seducing pretty women and leaving them heartbroken the next day when they discovered both the man from the night before, and their missile plans were missing. In fact it went more along the lines of letting an old man, with appalling halitosis and a pot belly, attack your neck like a vacuum cleaner until you could knock him out with an amnesia dart. So to say Eggsy was less than thrilled to stand around in a stuffy banquet and wait for his glasses to give him visual confirmation on their target would be an understatement. No one had been able to get a distinct picture of their elusive bad guy, and Eggsy was hoping that tonight he’d be running back up for Roxy while she seduced their target, rather than the other way around. He snatched a flute of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and started his rounds, keeping an eye open for their target. The earpiece Merlin had worked into their glasses was mostly silent except for an occasional irritated mutter transmitted from Roxy along the lines of,

“When is this idiot going to show up?”

Eggsy continued to wander, very careful to avoid Roxy. They couldn’t risk being seen together and spooking their target when one person failed and the other had to step up their flirting charm. Roxy was occasionally whisked onto the dance floor by someone hoping to gain her affection but in general the night stayed uneventful. Finally, after three dances with old ladies who were insistent on groping his bum, Eggsy heard the words he’d been waiting for all evening came through his earpiece.

“Visual of target confirmed.” came Roxy’s voice, and Eggsy turned to keep an eye on her. She meandered over to where the man was watching the dance floor, and then smiled up at him coyly when he noticed her presence.

“Would you like to dance?” she asked softly and Eggsy could see the man smile, and for a hopeful heart beat Eggsy thought he was off the hook, that his job for the evening would be back up and nothing else. Then the man’s voice came filtering through.

“Sorry darling I’m just here to watch.” he said and Eggsy could practically hear Roxy’s mental whoop of joy.

“Oh. Sorry to bother you. I just haven’t been having much luck with my partners this evening. They keep stepping on my toes.” Roxy giggled, putting on a perfect display of a ditsy posh girl. The man chuckled and shook his head.

“Well I hope you find someone who can suit your dancing needs.” he said and Roxy smiled back shyly.

“Thank you. Well, I’ll get out of your way and let you go back to your watching.” she said and moved off. Eggsy groaned silently and started making his own plan as Roxy’s voice came through again.

“Visual confirmation lost. Your go Eggsy.”

He snatched another champagne flute as the one he’d been using as a prop had been set down so he could dance with gropey-old-lady-two, and moved towards the target. Once he had the man in his sights, Eggsy was pleasantly surprised. He was older but not so old that he had to wear a toupee, in fact his hair was still pleasantly thick and dark, with a streak of grey at the temple. HIs eyes were bright blue and observing, but also pleasantly warm. He was tall like in the crappy security camera photos, but the girth Eggsy had been contributing to fat was actually caused by his broad shoulders and the coat he’d been wearing in the photo. The man was actually quite trim. If the man could snog it might be an excellent mission after all.

“Visual on target confirmed, waiting to make contact.” he murmured as he mimed taking a sip of champagne.

“Very good Galahad. Good luck.” Merlin’s voice came through the earpiece.

Eggsy waited until the man started to move off for one reason or another, then set himself on an intercept course. Just as he had hoped, they crashed together and Eggsy champagne sloshed all over the front of the man’s tux. Eggsy let his face fall into a mask of embarrassed horror, and he looked up at the man.

“I’m so sorry mate. I’ve clearly had too much fun tonight.” Eggsy said and dug his handkerchief out of the inside of his jacket pocket. He started ineffectually dabbing at the man’s shirt and only stopped because the man laughed and took a hold of his wrist.

“Honestly. It’s no trouble, if the dry cleaners can’t fix it, I can get a new one. Although I do agree that you’ve had too much to drink,” he teased and carefully removed the champagne flute from Eggsy hand, “Why don’t you come with me? I’m sure a dance or two could work some that stuff out of your system.”

Eggsy grinned bashfully and nodded, holding his hand out. “My name’s Eggsy Unwin.” he introduced himself and the man shook the offered hand.

“Elliott Smith,” he said as an introduction then used the hand he’d been shaking to lead Eggsy to the dance floor. Eggsy rested his hands on the back of Elliott’s neck and smiled up at him.

“Good work Galahad. Stay on it.” Merlin’s voice came through and Eggsy did his best to ignore it.

“So Eggsy, how did a young man such as you find himself at an event like this?” Elliott asked and Eggsy shrugged.

“My dad runs one of the businesses sponsorin’ it.  He got a cold though and decided that it would be a perfect opportunity to send his good for nothin’ son out into the world.” he said, straight from the story they’d decided on back at HQ.

“Ah. The disapproving parent. Always a reason to be here I suppose.” Elliott joked and brushed a hand down the back of Eggsy’s neck. Eggsy shivered appropriately and Elliott grinned. They danced together silently for a little while before Eggsy leaned up to whisper in Elliott’s ear.

“Wanna get outta here?” he asked and Elliott groaned softly.

“Yes.” he said and led Eggsy through the crowd on the dance floor. As soon as they were out of sight Elliott launched an attack on Eggsy neck. It was a tad too slobbery for his taste but he made the appropriate gasping and groaning noises. They stumbled awkwardly to the elevator and Eggsy pressed the button so Elliott wouldn’t get suspicious about Eggsy’s distinct lack of reaction. They tumbled into the elevator which dislodged Elliott’s mouth from Eggsy’s throat. Eggsy grinned in a way he hoped was a combination of enthusiasm, excitement and nerves. Elliott grinned back and bent to kiss Eggsy properly. That was when it got worse. Elliott might’ve been attractive but he clearly had no idea how to kiss and it was quite disappointing. His t ****

ongue felt more like a slug sliding around in Eggsy’s mouth than anything else. Once the door to the elevators swished open, Elliott separated himself from Eggsy and captured Eggsy’s wrist in a large warm hand. They made their way down the hallway and paused outside of room 218. There was a soft “Noted Galahad.” from Merlin but other than that the hall was silent. Finally Elliott unlocked the door and guided Eggsy inside with the hand resting on Eggsy’s lower back. The door closed and Elliott wrapped himself around Eggsy from behind. He resumed his early attack on the other side of Eggsy’s throat and Eggsy arched back as if in ecstasy and wrapped his arms behind Elliott’s neck.

“God you’re gorgeous,” Elliot breathed, “I was watching you all evening. Wanted to tear you away from those old biddies.”

Eggsy shuddered, slightly repulsed, but played it off as genuine interest. He needed Elliott to be thoroughly distracted before Eggsy hit him with an amnesia dart. It wasn’t so terrible if he closed his eyes. He could imagine that it was someone else. With darker hair and strong jaw line, but with eyes the color of whiskey, someone who made him laugh. Someone… Harry. Eggsy’s eyes flew open. He was imagining Harry. He did his best to remain calm in the aftermath of his realization, and careful twisted the face of his watch until it was set at the amnesia dart setting, and then pressed down in order to release it. Elliott crumpled to the floor. Eggsy stepped away and clapped a hand over his mouth, trying to hold the nausea at bay. Of all the times he could’ve realized he was in love with Harry, in the middle of a honeypot mission had to be the most inconvenient. Not that it was ever convenient to realize the reason you brought your boss coffee to see him smile was because you were in love, not because you were good friends.

“Come in Galahad. We’re monitoring a spike in your blood pressure. Is everything okay?” Merlin asked through the earpiece and Eggsy blew out a sigh and nodded.

“Yeah. I’m okay Merlin.” he said and started his search the room for the infamous memory stick. Once it was located Merlin informed him and Roxy to get to the extraction point.

*

Once Eggsy was home in his flat, without all the distraction of the mission, he could really think about his realization. And the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The way he would preen when Harry complimented him, or the time he’d nearly broken a glass when Harry was teaching him to make martinis and Eggsy had realized how close they were. If Eggsy was honest with himself, he’d probably been in love with Harry since the first day they met, specifically when he beat up Dean’s goons when they were harassing Eggsy during his and Harry’s conversation in the pub. It was also why he had been so furious with Harry when he came back from the dead. But how long he’d been in love with Harry was not the issue, it was the love itself that was an issue. No matter what Eggsy wanted, Harry wouldn’t want anything to do with him. Not like that.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is it! Last Chapter!

After that, the friendship that had been developing between Eggsy and Harry started to unravel. Despite Eggsy’s attempts, he started getting hostile again. He was horribly angry at everyone, including himself. Every time he saw Harry, it was like a constant reminder that Eggsy would never get what he wanted. Just when his life seemed to be getting back to its usual happy place, Eggsy had to go and screw it up with an emotional attachment. He even went as far as to stop inviting Harry to his dancing time. The worst part occurred when Harry noticed what was going on and stopped Eggsy in a hallway, with a concerned look on his face.

“Did something happen on that mission we weren’t aware of?” he asked softly. Eggsy had simply grinned and given Harry a thumbs up.

“I’m fine bruv. Really. Just a bit tired is all.” he lied. Harry had sighed and clasped Eggsy’s shoulder.

“Try to get some rest.” he said softly.

*

All the emotional turmoil came to a head when Eggsy was sent out on what was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission. Then the drug smugglers had discovered his hiding spot and all hell broke loose. He was forced to beat his way through the men attacking him, with “unnecessary violence” as the report later came to read, and he was so focused on working out his aggression, he missed the man with the gun. He snuck up and shot Eggsy in the shoulder, the culprit had been too close for the suit to stop the bullet. Also he was actually aiming for Eggsy’s heart but the bullet missed his heart because he’d turned just in time for his shoulder to take the shot. He’d knocked the guy to the ground regardless but it didn’t stop the blood from gushing out. Once he got back to HQ and was all patched up, he got a good chewing out from Merlin.

“Damn it Eggsy! You took an unnecessary amount of risk with your life! We can’t afford to have you die on us! We don’t have time to recruit new agents!” Merlin yelled and Eggsy tilted his chin up stubbornly.

“I’m fine Merlin. It was just my shoulder.” he said calmly and Merlin looked so furious it intimidated even Eggsy.

“Get out of my infirmary. If you do something stupid like this again, you’re fired.” he growled, and Eggsy followed the instructions without argument.

*

_My lover's got humour_

_She's the giggle at a funeral_

_Knows everybody's disapproval_

_I should've worshipped her sooner_

Eggsy lay flat on his back and slowly sat up, arms trailing on the floor. He fell sideways and pushed, sliding along the ground in one graceful move. He rolled into a plank and arced his right leg back over the top of himself so he was sitting with one leg tucked to his chest.

_If the heavens ever did speak_

_She's the last true mouthpiece_

_Every Sunday's getting more bleak_

_A fresh poison each week_

He tucked his other leg up and pushed himself from the ground. He stood in eleve with arms stretched above his head, then started melting back to the floor.

" _We were born sick," you heard them say it_

_My church offers no absolutes_

_She tells me, "Worship in the bedroom."_

_The only heaven I'll be sent to_

_Is when I'm alone with you_

He did a few leaps, then landed and did a few chaînes. He rose on to his tip toes and wrapped his arms around himself, swaying slightly.

_I was born sick_

_But I love it_

_Command me to be well_

_Aaay. Amen. Amen. Amen._

Eggsy tilted forward, lengthening into an arabesque, then rotated into a sideways tilt. He brought his feet back down to standing, stretching his arm to the side.

_Take me to church_

_I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies_

_I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife_

_Offer me that deathless death_

_Good God, let me give you my life_

Eggsy kicked his left leg up into a battement, fell into a lunge, then sent himself turning sideways into a piqué. He stopped and fell to his knees in a genuflect.

*

After the gunshot incident, Eggsy had to undergo physical therapy. The shot hadn’t been that bad but it had done just enough damage that Eggsy wasn’t allowed into the field. Merlin had given him several options for PT, starting with traditional strengthening exercises and ranging to dance classes. Eggsy agreed to the last option without hesitation. The only problem was that the only agent known for their dancing skills was Harry. It meant Eggsy was trapped in a room with the object of his affections for hours on end. With every brush of Harry’s hand to adjust his positioning or turn out, or posture, Eggsy was reminded of everything he couldn’t have. There was no way Harry could love him. Eggsy was just some kid Harry had pulled off the street. Worse yet was that he was almost a charity case considering Harry only recruited him as a favor to Lee Unwin. They were from two different worlds. It didn’t matter that they were both Kingsman Agents. Eggsy was too young, and scruffy for Harry to even consider dating. It was a simple rule of the universe, gentlemen like Harry didn’t even consider chavs like Eggsy. So Eggsy suffered in silence. He worked at dance like a champ. If he couldn’t date Harry, he could at least impress the man with his ability to do inversions on an injured shoulder. Except it was sometimes difficult to remember in certain moments that he shouldn’t touch. Harry clucked his tongue and made his way over to Eggsy and it was the most gut wrenching thing in the world not to just reach out and run a hand through Harry’s hair. It irritated Eggsy to no end that Harry could touch him, but Eggsy couldn’t touch back. It seemed ridiculously unfair that the universe would throw temptation in his face like that. Eggsy was about to launch into another phrase when Harry cut off the music.

“Do your battement again.” He instructed and Eggsy did as he was told. Harry caught his leg and sighed.

“Eggsy, we’ve been over this. Keep your leg turned out and drop your hip,” Harry said and rotated Eggsy’s leg so it was turned out, “You’re lifting with the wrong muscle group, you use this muscle group to muscle your leg up,” he said and ran his fingers along the top of Eggsy’s thigh, “When you should be using this muscle group in order to lengthen your extension.” he finished and ran a hand along the underside of Eggsy’s thigh. Eggsy flinched and yanked his leg out of Harry’s grip.

“Stop touchin’ me so much!” he snapped and Harry looked up at Eggsy with a bemused expression.

”Sorry. I didn’t realize it was bothering you.” he said smoothly and took a step back.

Eggsy clenched his hands hard, feeling his nails dig into the palms of his hands. He was fuming. Everything was just so damn unfair. Harry frowned and took a small step forward as if to close the gap.

“Eggsy? Whatever is the matter?” Harry asked as if talking to a wild beast that he was trying to keep from bolting.

“You!” Eggsy snapped and ran a hand through his hair, “You came back and expected me to forgive you! You expected me to pretend like nothing happened! Well I did Harry and it didn’t work because we’re still tip toein’ around each other!”

“So it comes back to my betrayal then,” Harry said voice only slightly raised in irritation, “I was doing my job Eggsy! Just because you wanted to be let in on my secret doesn’t mean you had the clearance to know.”

“It’s not even that you didn’t tell me Harry! It’s the fact that you died and it was my fault! I had to live with the fact that you dyin’ was my fault and then you come back and it’s like all that guilt was for nothin’!” Eggsy shouted back and something he said obviously surprised Harry because the anger in his eyes dissipated.

“How on earth would it be your fault Eggsy?” he asked softly and Eggsy dropped his glare to the floor.

“If I hadn’t failed that dog test, you wouldn’t have been so angry. Then you might’ve been more careful and not gotten hurt. I would’ve been a proper agent and I could’ve had your back.” Eggsy muttered reluctantly and there was a soft intake of breath from Harry’s general location. Then there was the feeling of someone taking hold of Eggsy’s shoulders and he looked up.

“Oh my dearest Eggsy, there was nothing that could’ve changed the outcome of that mission. I got lucky, that’s all. Valentine was a terrible shot and Merlin is wonderful at bulletproofing. Even so I still had to undergo an extensive recovery process. There was nothing you could have done.” Harry said softly, staring earnestly into Eggsy’s eyes. Eggsy bit his lip and nodded, letting the words sink in.

“Is there anything else that’s been bothering you?” Harry asked equally as gently and Eggsy could feel himself turn bright red  ****

Harry’s gaze.

“No.” he lied easily and looked up at Harry. It was less suspicious if he made eye contact.

“Liar. Tell me what’s bothering you.” Harry ordered and Eggsy sighed in annoyance.

“Honest, Harry, I’m fine.” He responded and crossed his arms defiantly.

Harry frowned disapprovingly and Eggsy felt his resolve crumble.

“I’m… I love you,” he admitted and looked down at his feet, “It’s okay though. I’m not expectin’ anythin’. You’re my boss and I’m sure I’m too young for ya. I just... Well, you wouldn’t’ve let me leave if I hadn’t told ya so…” he finished.

There was a soft, affectionate “Idiot.” from Harry, and Eggsy flinched, waiting for the rejection.

The kiss that followed was truly terrible, their teeth clacked together painfully and Eggsy bashed his nose on Harry’s cheek but it was okay. They had the rest of their lives for great kisses.

 ****====

Thanks so much to: [Chelsea](http://vivetveit.tumblr.com/), [Threse](http://smoothmovebro.tumblr.com/), and [Kingsman-Britpickers](http://kingsman-britpickers.tumblr.com/) for helping me not sound like the American ass I am. You guys were unfailingly helpful!

**Author's Note:**

> First fic! Let me know if its good or not.


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